Alpha’s Redemption

Shattered Bonds

I had always imagined that the first time my heart shattered, it would be a clean break. Something quick and precise, like a blade slicing through paper. What I hadn’t anticipated was the pain—the raw, all-consuming agony that felt like claws shredding my chest from the inside out.

The moment I opened the door to Dorian’s room, I knew something was wrong. My wolf stirred uneasily in my chest, her instinctual growl vibrating through me. The air smelled different—tainted. I stood there for a moment, holding my breath, trying to convince myself that my mate wouldn’t betray me. He couldn’t.

But when I stepped inside, the scene struck me like a blow to the stomach.

There he was, my mate, tangled in the sheets with her. Isla. My sister. Their bodies pressed together, moving in a rhythm so intimate it made my skin crawl.

For a second, I thought I was hallucinating. My mind scrambled to make sense of what I was seeing. Isla’s soft moans filled the room, and Dorian—my mate—growled in a way he never had for me. His hands gripped her hips possessively, his lips grazing her skin. The sight was grotesque, a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

I froze, the world tilting beneath me. I didn’t realize I’d dropped the folder I’d been holding until the sound of paper hitting the floor broke through the haze. They stopped. Dorian’s head snapped toward me, his blue eyes wide with shock, and for a moment, I saw guilt flicker there.

“Lena,” he said, his voice hoarse. He pulled away from Isla, reaching for the blanket to cover himself. “I can explain—”

“Explain?” My voice cracked, and my wolf’s anguished roar echoed in my mind. “Explain what, Dorian? That you’re f*****g my sister?”

Isla sat up, the sheet draped around her like some mockery of modesty. Her golden hair was disheveled, her lips swollen. She looked at me, but there wasn’t a trace of shame in her expression. If anything, there was satisfaction.

“Lena, it’s not what it looks like,” Dorian tried again, stepping toward me.

“Don’t come near me!” I snapped, stepping back. My wolf snarled, fighting to take control. The mate bond pulsed between us, a painful reminder of the connection we were supposed to share. My chest burned as the bond began to fray, the threads unraveling with every second I stood there.

“You don’t understand—” he started, but I cut him off.

“I understand perfectly,” I spat, my voice trembling. “You’re a liar and a coward. And you—” I turned my gaze to Isla, who didn’t even have the decency to look away. “You’re my sister.”

She smirked. “And he’s not yours anymore.”

Her words were the final blow, shattering the fragile remnants of my composure. I couldn’t breathe. The room was closing in on me, the walls pressing against my chest. My wolf howled in agony, clawing at the edges of my mind as the mate bond snapped. The pain was unbearable, like a limb being torn from my body.

I stumbled back, needing to get away, to escape the suffocating betrayal. Dorian called my name, but I didn’t look back. I ran.

The hallway blurred around me as I fled, tears streaming down my face. My wolf whimpered, her grief mirroring my own. She was as broken as I was, the bond we’d cherished now a gaping wound.

I reached my room and slammed the door shut, locking it behind me. My chest heaved as I leaned against the door, my legs giving out beneath me. The mate bond was gone, severed, leaving a hollow ache in its place. I pressed my hand to my heart, as if that could stop the pain, but it was no use.

How could he do this to me?

I curled up on the floor, my back against the door. Memories of Dorian flooded my mind, unbidden and cruel. His smile when he first called me “mate.” The way he held me after my first shift, promising he’d always protect me. The nights we spent dreaming about our future together, talking about pups, about leading the pack side by side.

Lies. All of it.

My wolf stirred weakly, her anger simmering beneath the surface. We were supposed to be enough for him, she growled. He betrayed us. He betrayed his bond.

“I know,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I know.”

But the betrayal cut deeper than I could put into words. It wasn’t just that he had chosen someone else—it was who he had chosen. Isla. My sister. The person who was supposed to have my back.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. Isla had always been jealous of me. She hated that I was mated to Dorian, that I had what she didn’t. But I never thought she’d go this far.

The betrayal twisted in my gut like a knife.

Hours passed, though I barely noticed. I stayed on the floor, staring at nothing, my tears drying on my cheeks. The bond was gone, but its absence was a constant ache. It was as if part of me had been ripped away, leaving a raw, gaping wound.

I didn’t want to face anyone. Not my parents, not the pack, and certainly not Dorian. The thought of their pity, their whispers, was unbearable.

A knock at the door jolted me from my thoughts. “Lena?” It was my mother’s voice, soft and hesitant.

I didn’t answer.

“Sweetheart, please. Let me in.”

“No,” I croaked, my voice barely audible.

There was a pause, and then a sigh. “We’re here for you, Lena. If you need anything, just come downstairs.”

Her footsteps faded, leaving me alone once more.

I pulled myself up and staggered to the bed, collapsing onto the mattress. My wolf paced restlessly in my mind, her anger simmering. We need to do something, she growled. We can’t let them get away with this.

But I had nothing left. No strength, no fight. All I had was pain and the hollow ache where the bond used to be.

As I drifted into a restless sleep, one thought consumed me: I had trusted him. I had loved him. And he had destroyed me.

I didn’t know how I would face tomorrow, but one thing was certain—nothing would ever be the same again.